This invention relates generally to telecommunications equipment, and more specifically relates to a system and method for determining the environmental configuration of telecommunications equipment.
Telecommunications equipment is deployed and operates in many different environmental conditions, such as various temperature ranges and in the presence of different types and quantities of contaminants. Telecommunications equipment is typically classified according to the type of environmental conditions that the equipment is designed to handle. One common classification is a classification for commercial environments that maintain controlled environmental conditions, such as narrow temperature ranges and reduced presence of contaminants. Telecommunications equipment having a commercial classification is thus generally installed and operated in controlled environmental conditions, such as temperature controlled central office facilities. Another common classification for telecommunications equipment is operation in an industrial environment. Equipment designed to operate in an industrial environment typically faces uncontrolled environmental conditions such as the outdoor temperature ranges experienced in the geographic location at which the telecommunications equipment is deployed. For instance, a digital subscriber line access multiplexer deployed at a digital loop carrier may experience extremely high summer time temperatures and extremely low winter temperatures.
Although telecommunications equipment having uncontrolled or outside plant classifications is generally less likely to fail due to extreme environmental conditions, such equipment is also typically much more expensive to manufacture. Due to this cost difference, telecommunications equipment used in both controlled and uncontrolled environments is normally manufactured and sold as different systems even if they perform similar functions. For example, digital subscriber line access multiplexers (DSLAM) are deployed both in controlled central office environments and uncontrolled distributed locations so that customer end points are able to interface with the central office through digital subscriber line (DSL) connections. DSLAMs are typically designed as modular systems with interchangeable components to provide scalable service. To reduce the cost and complexity of stocking the components, some of the less complex components are used in both DSLAMs having controlled and uncontrolled environmental ratings. For instance, a chassis backplane is an interchangeable component that offers little cost savings if designed separately for controlled and uncontrolled environments and is thus typically a component designed in a singular manner for use in both environments.
One difficulty with the use of interchangeable components that have controlled, uncontrolled and both environmental ratings is that telecommunications equipment may be deployed with improper environmental configurations. For instance, a component having an uncontrolled rating is generally more expensive than a component having a controlled rating so that the use of components having an uncontrolled environmental rating in telecommunications equipment deployed in a controlled environment creates an unnecessary expense. Further, the use of components having a controlled environmental rating in telecommunications equipment deployed in an uncontrolled environment may result in premature failure of the equipment and interruptions in telecommunications service. Detecting an improper environmental configuration is especially difficult when some of the interchangeable components are designed for use in both controlled and uncontrolled environments.
Therefore a need has arisen for a system and method which determines whether telecommunications equipment is configured or manufactured with a proper environmental configuration.
A further need has arisen for a system and method which determines the compatibility of components inserted in a modular telecommunications system with the anticipated environmental conditions in which the telecommunications system will operate.
In accordance with the present invention, a system and method is provided that substantially eliminates disadvantages and problems associated with previously developed systems and methods for determining the environmental configuration of telecommunications equipment. A component engine associated with the telecommunications equipment determines the environmental rating of components added to or removed from the equipment and sets an alarm if an improper environmental configuration exists.
More specifically, the telecommunications equipment accepts plural modular and interchangeable components that perform telecommunications functions. For instance, a DSLAM has a chassis backplane with slots to accept modular components such as daughter boards, line cards, network cards and optical interfaces. The components have flash memory that stores an environmental rating, such a controlled environmental rating or an uncontrolled environmental rating. Components with a controlled environmental rating are designed to operate in controlled environmental conditions such as a central office, and components with an uncontrolled environmental rating are designed to operate in uncontrolled environmental conditions such as the outdoors. Components that do not store an environmental rating are assigned a rating of both uncontrolled and controlled that is acceptable for use in both uncontrolled and controlled environmental conditions.
The component engine reads the environmental rating from the flash memory. If a component lacks flash memory or does not have a rating stored in its flash memory, then the component engine assigns a xe2x80x9cbothxe2x80x9d rating to those components that do not store a rating. As components are added to or removed from the DSLAM, the component engine maintains a list of components and their ratings in list memory that is associated with the DSLAM""s network management system. Alternatively, the flash memory stores the temperature ranges of a component and the component engine to determines the components temperature rating. In this embodiment, the component engine may track the overall temperature range of the system, resulting in an operating temperature range output for the telecommunications equipment.
An alarm is set to indicate an improper environmental configuration if the list memory includes at least one component having a controlled rating and one component having an uncontrolled rating. An alarm interface provides feedback to technicians so that a technician is able to identify the environmental rating of the components. If a component is removed from the DSLAM resulting in resolution of the alarm condition, such as a component with a controlled rating is removed leaving only components with uncontrolled and both ratings, then the alarm clears. In one embodiment, the telecommunications equipment is preconfigured with at least one component of a desired rating so that the component engine is able to check added components against the preconfigured rating and set an alarm if a component with a different rating is added.
The present invention provides a number of important technical advantages. One example of an important technical advantage is that the alarm provides automated warning at field locations if a technician creates an improper environmental configuration by changing the components within telecommunications equipment. The alarm reduces the risk of telecommunications equipment failure that might otherwise result if, for instance, a component having a controlled rating is mistakenly used in an uncontrolled environment. The alarm also reduces the risk that more expensive components designed for uncontrolled environments will be used in controlled environments, unnecessarily increasing the cost of the telecommunications equipment.
Another example of an important technical advantage of the present invention is that telecommunications equipment designed only for either a controlled or an uncontrolled environment is more easily converted to selectively operate in both environments by replacing selected components with interchangeable components having a desired environmental rating. For instance, telecommunications equipment designed to operate in a controlled central office environment may be upgraded to operate in uncontrolled outdoors environments by exchanging modules likely to fail in uncontrolled environments with interchangeable modules rated to operate in uncontrolled environments. The component engine is uploaded to operate on the network management system of the telecommunications equipment with minimal expense and complexity to substantially reduce the risk that the interchangeable components will be incorrectly loaded onto the telecommunications equipment.